1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal having a cover device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various electronic devices have been developed for users, and these devices (hereinafter, “portable terminals”), through which users can access various types of content while carrying them, have been widely used and include mobile terminals, MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMP), e-books, and the like. Various functions such as the ability to shoot photos or record moving images, music videos, multimedia, and game functions, as well as a wireless transmission/reception function, are being integrated into the portable terminals. The portable terminals are provided with, on a front surface thereof, a touch screen capable of using multi-functions, and smart phones are now provided on an entire front surface thereof with a touch screen responding to a touch.
However, an external case of the portable terminals or the exposed touch screen on the front surface of the portable terminals may be damaged due to scratches or an impact while the portable terminals are being carried or used. To prevent the damage, the portable terminals are provided with various cases or covers (hereinafter, “cover device”). The existing cover devices covering the portable terminal typically have a form in which the touch screen is not covered and, for example, only the external rim or the rear case of the portable terminal is covered, or a form in which the entire portable terminal is covered with a flip type case so that a portion covering the touch screen is opened and closed for use of the touch screen.
In the case of a cover device which exposes the touch screen to the outside, it is difficult to prevent scratches or damage of the touch screen. In the case of a flip-type cover device, a user must open the cover covering the touch screen whenever using the touch screen. In addition, the flip-type cover device causes inconvenience when opening the cover even in the case of a simple incoming or outgoing call. Further, for the flip-type cover device, the user must open the cover for use of a display device whenever using the portable terminal, and therefore, the flip device can be damaged due to frequent opening/closing of the cover. Furthermore, both the cover device covering only the outside portion of the portable terminal and the flip-type cover device are prone to damage such as scratches since the touch screen must be exposed to the outside and contact for a touch is made for usage of the touch screen.